PM SAYS TREES ARE SAFE

Darby and Joan, the twin kauri alongside the road through the Waipoua Sanctuary, will not be felled to build a two lane bridge between them. This is the promise of Prime Minister, John Key given in Parliament last week, following concerns the Government’s Northland election promise to upgrade the bridge put the trees at risk.

When the Waipoua Sanctuary section of State Highway 12 was sealed twenty years ago special platforms were built across the roots of the two ancient trees to protect them from damage. At the time the roading solution was considered a significant environmental achievement.